Executive Transactions

SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL’s Steve Woodward reports that MARK LEWIS has joined hospitality company Jet Set Sports as President, “just 27 months after joining [GE] to oversee” the company’s Olympic sponsorship. Jet Set Sports is a USOC and Turin ’06 sponsor, and is “soon to be a Beijing 2008 sponsor” (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 10/3 issue).

FRANCHISE: Hornets GM ALLAN BRISTOW has stepped down due to health concerns. The team promoted Dir of Player Personnel JEFF BOWER to GM. Bower previously served as GM from ’01-03. In a statement, Bristow said, “The stress and strain of the last month took a serious toll on various health problems that I was already facing before the hurricane” (Hornets). But in New Orleans, John DeShazier wrote of Bristow, “Unofficially, word is that he was pushed, rather than jumped. ... He was on the wrong end of a power struggle that really was no struggle at all, since none of the power rested in his hands anymore.” The move “seems to be an extension of the goings on since PAUL MOTT was hired as team president and TIM MCDOUGALL was brought in as [CMO]” (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 10/2)....Grizzlies Dir of Event Booking JIM GREEN has resigned to pursue opportunities with his entertainment company, TCB Entertainment (Grizzlies) ....The Blackhawks named PETE HASSEN Communications Manager (THE DAILY).

EXECS: Chicago State Univ. named DR. DARREN HAMILTON AD, succeeding Associate AD SUDIE DAVIS, who served as Interim Dir since June ’05. Previously, Hamilton was at Duke Univ. where he served in numerous administrative roles in the athletics department (Chicago State)....Watkins Glen Int’l named ANDY LONGENBERGER Manager of Sales & Business Development and promoted RYAN MOSHER to Senior Account Exec (Watkins Glen).